Thursday, August 30, 2012

Valuable Family Stuff

The other day I decided to clean out some old files. I ran across several thick envelopes with letters sent to Arlene's mother, Effie, from her husband, Arthur (more about those later), starting around 1917. I hit pay dirt with a letter from Don Murray requesting permission to marry their daughter, Arlene. After the happy dance I added it to the end of Soft Snap. Excerpt below.
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26 December 1945

Dear Arthur and Effie,

Arlene’s recent, though brief, visit to Hanover gave me a long awaited opportunity to be with her once more, and most important of all, to speak to her of what has long been nearest to my heart. To my immense joy and pride she has told me that she bears me an affection and admiration equal to those which I have for her. We have discovered that we love each other and we wish to be married, sometime in the coming summer. It is my most sincere wish that we may have your unreserved permission as well as your unqualified and enthusiastic support in culminating our plans.

My mother has been told today of our desire and she is delighted. Through my many letters she has known how much I have thought of Arlene for several years and that we have written constantly since I have been in the service. While Arlene was here mother was able to come to know how fine and dear she is. Mother has said that I could not have chosen a finer girl . . .

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About Me

Anna Murray grew up as a younger child in a diverse family of nine in rural Wisconsin. She honed her writing skills as part of a classical liberal arts education at a small Midwestern college, and embarked on an unusual career path that included jobs teaching English (British American Institute, Madrid Spain), editing and training at an educational testing firm, computer programming, technical writing and training, systems analysis for a Fortune 500 corporation, and owning an electronic publishing business.
She resides in the beautiful St. Croix Valley of Minnesota.